NEWSLETTER
What?! The Cubs have top prospects?! No way!
Yes, even after the trade deadline spending spree and waiver movement of 2017, the Chicago Cubs do indeed still have prospects in their Minor League organization. And some of them aren’t even half bad!
According MLB Pipeline, these are the best of the Cubs’ best:
- Oscar De La Cruz, RHP
- Jose Albertos, RHP
- Adbert Alzolay, RHP
- Alex Lange, RHP
- Brendon Little, LHP
- Victor Caratini, C/1B
- Thomas Hatch, RHP
- Mark Zagunis, OF
- Trevor Clifton, RHP
- Justin Steele, LHP
- Aramis Ademan, SS
- D.J. Wilson, OF
- Jen-Ho Tseng, RHP
- Dillon Maples, RHP
- Eddy Martinez, OF
- Chesny Young, IF/OF
- Duane Underwood, RHP
- Carlos Sepulveda, 2B
- Jeremiah Estrada, RHP
- Alec Mills, RHP
- Keegan Thompson, RHP
- Charcer Burks, OF
- Cory Abbott, RHP
- Rob Zastryzny, LHP
- Wladimir Galindo, 3B/1B
- Erling Moreno, RHP
- Bryan Hudson, LHP
- Michael Rucker, RHP
- Jose Paulino, LHP
- Dakota Mekkes, RHP
Well how do you like that, 21 of the Cubs top 30 prospects are pitchers, including eight of the top ten, and all of the top five.
Speaking of the top five, a consensus is clearly growing, but the relative order is less much less certain. For example while many (like MLB Pipeline here) see Oscar De La Cruz as the Cubs top prospect, his injury concerns were enough to keep him just off the top of the board in Luke’s Midseason update. Instead, Luke flipped him and Jose Albertos as the one-two punch of the Cubs system.
Beyond that, MLB Pipeline seems to be much higher on the Cubs most recent draft picks, Brendon Little and Alex Lange, but neither has really seen much professional time yet, so these rankings are probably a little aggressive/early.
Beyond that, Dakota Mekkes, #30, is the new guy on the list and MLB Pipeline seems to be fairly high on him. Reportedly, despite fringy velocity (89-93 MPH), Mekkes has elite (literally 80-grade) deception that helps hide his pitches and pad his strikeout rate. With that said, MLB Pipeline adds that his “tricky fastball is his only real weapon,” so the Cubs will have to help develop his changeup and slider if they want him to be more than a reliever in the big leagues.
You can check out the Cubs full list of prospects here at MLB Pipeline, and click on any player for more info/scouting reports. The Cubs system isn’t as loaded as it used to be, but there’s plenty of upside and even more arms. Let’s see if they can’t turn one of these guys into a big leaguer.
